Alaska Jet and FedEx Cargo Planes Narrowly Avoid Mid-Air Crash While Landing at Newark Airport as Audio that Prevented Collision Revealed

An Alaska Airlines flight nearly collided with a FedEx cargo plane while trying to land at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday, according to radar data, after the landing was called off.

Flight tracking data shows the Alaska Airlines plane, which had taken off from Portland, Oregon, was moments away from touching down at the busy New York City-area airport at around 8:17 p.m. At the same time, a FedEx 777 cargo jet arriving from Memphis, Tennessee, was on its final approach to a nearby runway. In the final moments, an air traffic controller told the Alaska Airlines pilot to abort the landing and maintain 2,000 feet in the air.

Big Tragedy Avoided